6 Tips for Acing a Job Interview After Age 50

Hiring managers explain what impresses them and what annoys them

October 5, 2009 RSS Feed Print

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[See 6 Tips for Dealing With Age Discrimination.]

Don't talk too much. Baby boomers and seniors have decades' worth of experience to convey in the interview. But try not to spend the entire interview talking in an effort to impress. "I have my agenda of things that I want to discover about the person, and if they spend 15 minutes responding to one question, that just annoys me," says Paul Hvidding, vice president of human resources at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in Arlington, Va. Pick out a few experiences that you want to highlight during the interview, and practice describing them in a concise way. Says Hvidding: "Give nice crisp responses, and be aware of the needs of the interviewer to gather the information that he or she needs."

Tags:: senior citizens,; interviews

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don't talk too much!!... I've lived over 60 yr. and I have tons of information.I am more wise than a Katelyn/Tiffany contempory and I hope I can add my knowledge to the young. I find after looking for work now for almost a year, young people will not hire older ones.If you have a good job don't retire because its impossible to be taken seriously.

Eleanor Dorst 10:38AM February 09, 2013

I ma 53 y/o... I am going on an interview tomorrow.... Hope your advice here helps.... thanks...

Reno of OK 11:59AM October 17, 2011

I want to point out that at 50 I was laid off from my job, a family owned Staffing Company located in Grand Prairie, Texas and I will be honest the owner , Ms. Paula Pricer was so cold hearted when she gave me the boot that early morning at 6:03am. ,April of 2007.
I have not been able to locate a full time permanent position/employment ...with benefits....at all.
I have been doing short term job assignments for three Staffing Companies on a temporary basis (because that is all that is available to me).
I am a single parent that needs to work and I am responsible for my 15 year old son, Mikol.....
There was a time not too long ago that I just felt like turning in the towel because financially I was not making it. My life was not going in the direction it should be.
Seeking Employment at 50 is very hard , atleast it has been for me. I know I am not the only one going through this hardship and as for my Unemployment Benefits it helps but now I have been receiving Extended Benefits and now I found out Sunday that my benefits are exhausted, $58.00 weekly.
I put all of this in Gods hands.
Mary Garcia
Arlington,Texas
12/16/2009

Mary S. Garcia of TX 8:53AM December 16, 2009